Yomiuri Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 76 (2024) award
Kenichi Abe
あべ けんいち
Kenichi Abe
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1972-01-01 （Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, Czech
- Residence History
- Tokyo, Japan → Paris, France → Prague, Czech Republic → Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Career
- Occupations
- East European literature scholar, Translator, University professor
- Active Years
- 1995-
- Affiliations
- Hokkaido University Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Musashi University, Faculty of Humanities, Rikkyo University, College of Arts, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo
- Influenced By
- Jiří Kolář, Milan Kundera, Václav Havel
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo University of Foreign Studies | Faculty of Foreign Studies | — | 学士 | 1991-1995 | Japan |
| Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies | Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences | Literature | 博士（文学） | 1999-2003 | Japan |
| Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV) | — | — | — | 〜2002 | France |
| Charles University | — | — | — | — | Czech Republic |
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Faculty of Foreign Studies
Degree:
学士
Period:
1991-1995
Year of Graduation:
1995
Country:
Japan
Completed bachelor's degree
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
/ Literature
Degree:
博士（文学）
Period:
1999-2003
Year of Graduation:
2003
Country:
Japan
Doctoral dissertation: 'The Poetics of Jiří Kolář'
Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV)
Period:
〜2002
Year of Graduation:
2002
Country:
France
Attended / research period
Charles University
Country:
Czech Republic
Studied/researched (period unknown)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Japan Translation Grand Prize (1st) | Europeana: A Brief History of the 20th Century (co-translation) | 翻訳 | Japan Translation Grand Prize | 受賞 |
| 2025 | Yomiuri Literary Prize (76th, Criticism/Biography) | Translation and Paratext | 評論・伝記 | The Yomiuri Shimbun | 受賞 |
Japan Translation Grand Prize (1st)
2015
Work:
Europeana: A Brief History of the 20th Century (co-translation)
Category:
翻訳
Organization:
Japan Translation Grand Prize
Result:
受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (76th, Criticism/Biography)
2025
Work:
Translation and Paratext
Category:
評論・伝記
Organization:
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Poetics of Jiří Kolář
2006 Literary scholarship / PoeticsA comprehensive study based on the author's doctoral dissertation on Jiří Kolář's poetics; discusses his methods, visual poetry practices, and issues related to translation.
poeticsCzech literaturevisual poetrytranslation
Prague in the Plural
2012 Cultural studies / Literary studiesAn essay rethinking the city of Prague in the plural, addressing its cultural diversity and presenting perspectives across history, memory, and literarity.
Pragueurban culturememoryCentral Europe
Karel Teige: Seeker of Poetics
2017 Literary studies / BiographyExplores the thought and poetic practice of Czech modernist Karel Teige, discussing his relations to Surrealism and avant-garde movements.
Karel TeigeSurrealismModernism
100-Minute Masterpiece: Václav Havel's 'The Power of the Powerless'
2020 Introduction / Literary criticismA magazine-length commentary for NHK's '100-Minute Masterpiece' series, interpreting Havel's key work and outlining its intellectual and historical contexts.
Václav Havelpublic sphereresistance
Translation and Paratext: Josef Jungmann, Pavel Eisner, Kundera
2024 Translation studies / CriticismExamines the relationship between translation and paratext through Central European cases (Jungmann, Pavel Eisner, Kundera), addressing translation history and reception.
translation theoryparatextCzech literature
Bibliography
- The Poetics of Jiří Kolář (Seibunsha, 2006)
- Prague in the Plural (Jinbunshoin, 2012)
- Karel Teige: Seeker of Poetics (Suiseisha, 2017)
- 100-Minute Masterpiece: Václav Havel's 'The Power of the Powerless' (NHK Publishing, 2020)
- Translation and Paratext: Josef Jungmann, Pavel Eisner, Kundera (Jinbunshoin, 2024)
- Baccanalia: Feasts of Alcohol and Literature (co-edited, Seibunsha, 2012)
- Mucha: The Splendor of Paris, the Soul of the Slavs (contributor, Shinchosha, 2018)
- The Multilingual Topos of East European Literature (co-authored, Suiseisha, 2020)
- 60 Chapters to Know the Czech Republic (co-ed., Akashi Shoten, 2024)
- Petr Král 'Prague' (tr., Seibunsha, 2006)
- Patrik Ourednik 'Europeana' (co-tr., Hakusuisha, 2014)
- Václav Havel 'The Power of the Powerless' (tr., Jinbunshoin, 2019)
- Works by Bohumil Hrabal (tr., Kawade Shobo Shinsha, etc.)
Translations by Author
- Petr Král 'Prague' (Seibunsha, 2006)
- Avigdor Dagan 'Tales from an Old Silk Hat' (co-tr., Seibunsha, 2008)
- Václav Havel 'The Power of the Powerless' (tr., Jinbunshoin, 2019)
- Patrik Ourednik 'Europeana' (co-tr., Hakusuisha, 2014)
- Milan Ivaš 'Another Town' (tr., Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2013)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly, comparative-literary proseclear explanations grounded in translation theorywriting that emphasizes historical context
- Recurring Motifs
- Prague and urban memoryCzech/Central European cultural historyboundaries of translation and reception
Legacy
Kenichi Abe is a central figure in introducing Czech literature and translation studies to Japan; through scholarly works and translations he has contributed to understanding Central European culture. His achievements have been recognized by awards such as the Japan Translation Grand Prize and the Yomiuri Literary Prize.
Trivia
- Maintains an X (formerly Twitter) account: @kenichi_abe_.
- Co-translated Patrik Ourednik's 'Europeana' (2014) with Taku Shinohara; won the 1st Japan Translation Grand Prize in 2015.
- Won the 76th Yomiuri Literary Prize (Criticism/Biography) in 2025 for 'Translation and Paratext'.